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Sunday, January 17, 2016

Best Performances in Film - 2015

Want to know how interesting the best of 2015’s movie characters were?
Oscar-winning beauty Charlize Theron as a fierce feminist crew-cutted,
one-eyed sharp-shooting post-apocalyptic trucker-revolutionary was only
the TWENTIETH best. This year’s winners were brought to us by everyone
from some of the greatest character actors around (Mark Ruffalo, Walton
Goggins) to indie stalwarts (Peter Sarsgaard, Jessie Eisenberg), and
from actors with a lifetime of great performances (Charlotte Rampling,
Blythe Danner, Ben Vereen), to those who broke out into that rarefied
air for arguably the first time (Jason Segel). Here are our favorite
performances from 2015.

20. Charlize Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road

The marquee features Max’s name, but the film’s true hero is Furiosa,
a freedom fighter battling against an oppressive male regime. Just when
you think Mad Max: Fury Road is going to peg Max as the film’s
savior, Max gives the credit to Furiosa. She’s the character driven by a
purpose. He’s just a survivor. Hardy and Theron both lend muted
gravitas to their roles—she has more spoken dialogue than him, if only
just—and act through gesture and expression more than anything else.
It’s clear, though, that this is her movie more than it is his, a huge
accomplishment in light of the film’s intrinsic masculinity19. Josh Lucas, The Mend

The movies have given us a wide array of unlikable protagonists to
root for over the years—Bobby Dupea, Llewyn Davis, Rupert Pupkin, Ronnie
Barnhardt, Phillip Friedman, Billy Brown—but who knew Josh Lucas had
that kind of character in him? Sure, he’s played smarmy and unstable
types over the course of his career, but only John Magary’s The Mend
presents Lucas with the opportunity to fuse those two components
together. The result of that union is Mat, a grizzled asshole on a
losing streak that would be impressive if it wasn’t so pathetic. Mat’s
the kind of character who makes your stomach turn and your heart break
at the same time—a grumpy, aggressive, territory-marking ne’er-do-well
who visits misery on himself before visiting it upon others; no matter
how hard he tries, though, he can’t totally cover up his humanity, his
passion for his girlfriend, his love for his brother, or the emotional
alluvions that he just flat-out refuses to deal with. He’s a bastard of
his own making, and Lucas lends the role an impish spirit and volatile
charm that makes both Mat and TheMend feel vital. 18. Christopher Abbott, James White

Like no movie in recent memory, the feature debut of writer-director
Josh Mond is a small marvel of evenhanded empathy. Played by Christopher
Abbott, James White has a restless energy, a self-destructive streak, a
bratty sense of entitlement, and a fierce devotion to those he loves.
So, what does that make him, exactly? A cautionary tale? Utterly
insufferable? A misunderstood romantic? James White never quite
decides, which isn’t the same as not having strong opinions about its
central figure. Abbott’s performance has to embody all these different
sides of White, and he exudes an insular naturalness. 17. Elizabeth Banks, Love & Mercy

In a banner year for Banks—who, along with roles in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 2, Magic Mike XXL, and the Netflix series revisiting of Wet Hot American Summer, also co-starred in and directed the hit Pitch Perfect 2—her work in indie sleeper Love & Mercy
was a quiet triumph. As Melinda Ledbetter, the guileless Cadillac
saleswoman-turned-girlfriend (and second wife) of troubled Beach Boys
maestro Brian Wilson, Banks wrung emotional depth and nuance out of an
underwritten role. Her compassion is matched only by a strength and
resolve to wrest Wilson from the toxic external and internal forces
pulling him under. Amid all the voices, Ledbetter’s is the one he can
believe—and Banks’ performance is as powerfully sincere as the love and
mercy that helped draw Wilson out of his haze. 16. Ben Vereen, Time Out of Mind

Sometimes the greatest treasures are hidden right out in plain view.
Ben Vereen hasn’t forgotten how to act since his triumphs in Jesus Christ Superstar and Pippin on Broadway, Roots on television, or All That Jazz on film (to name a scant few of his many career highlights). So why, other than Bryan Barber in Idlewild
(2006), is Oren Moverman the only director who’s thought to cast Vereen
in a large part in a major film in the last couple of decades? I’m not
sure, but I do know that Vereen brings the truth in Time Out of Mind.
His portrayal of Dixon, the friend Richard Gere’s George finds in the
shelter, simultaneously embodies the situation of many homeless men and
deftly sidesteps caricature, lending the movie a sense of gravitas and
dignity. As I told him onstage at the Sarasota Film Festival, the world
needs more Ben Vereen. Let’s make it happen, filmmakers. 15. Arielle Holmes, Heaven Knows What

In Heaven Knows What, it’s easy to accept Harley’s ups and
downs as “real” whether you’re aware of Holmes’ story or not. Josh
Safdie met her on a subway platform in New York City while doing
research in the Diamond District; after getting to know Holmes, he
encouraged her to start writing. (She penned her memoir in Apple
stores.) Something about that feels like kismet, though more critical
viewers may be inclined to qualify Heaven Knows What as exploitation. But as filmmakers, Josh and Benny share a singularly sensitive eye. They have no taste to engage in our nostalgie de la boue—instead,
their movie reads like an act of advocacy, and it’s a vivid testament
to the strength of their bond with Holmes. For her part, she’s
remarkably brave about having the good, the bad and the ugly of her
existence committed to film, and, yes, against all odds there is some
hope to be found here, joy that bubbles up amidst heartbreak, cruelty
and callous indifference.14. Blythe Danner, I’ll See You in My Dreams

In retrospect it seems so obvious—a huge portion of our population is
moving into retirement, and why shouldn’t they have a cinematic love
story for their stage in life? And, anyway, what man, of any age,
doesn’t have at least a bit of a crush on Blythe Danner? What woman of
any age doesn’t secretly sometimes wish she was Blythe Danner? It would
have been enough just to see Danner in the lead role of Brett Haley’s I’ll See You in My Dreams.
But her performance is perhaps the best of her long career—funny, sad,
heartfelt. I don’t know who the current title-holder would be of the
Julia Roberts/Meg Ryan “America’s Sweetheart” championship belt, but I
know who my vote would go to. I’d love to spend the next decade watching
new Blythe Danner romantic comedies. 13. Brie Larson, Room

Everyone has a different moment when he realized Brie Larson was
going to be a big star. For most, it’s somewhere in the impressive
21-movie run she’s had in the last seven years. I knew it when I saw her
in Tanner Hall in 2009. By 2013’s Short Term 12, most of the indie world knew it. And now, with Lenny Abrahamson’s Room,
everyone knows it. It’s a difficult film to watch—claustrophobic,
nightmarish, heartbreaking. But Larson’s Ma never gives up hope, despite
the almost unimaginable horror visited on herself and her child. And
(spoiler alert), once the two escape midway through the film, her
performance only gets better as she struggles to cope with the aftermath
of her ordeal, and the challenge of learning to deal with the outside
world again. It’s a brave, tough performance, and the reception it’s
getting is incredibly encouraging. And the best part? Larson,
incredibly, is only 26-years-old, which means we should have decades
more to enjoy the incredible performances she brings us.12. Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years45 Years delineates the invisible nuances of marriage, how
subtle changes in behavior can hint at larger concerns and emotional
disruptions. The film is told from the perspective of Kate, who’s played
by Charlotte Rampling as if a lifetime of love is hanging in the
balance. In filmmaker Andrew Haigh’s character drama, she and her
husband Geoff (Tom Courtenay) are preparing for their 45th anniversary,
but a dead former lover from his past has suddenly left her wondering if
her marriage hasn’t always been compromised by the fact that, if things
had worked out differently, he would have married the other woman
instead. Rampling embodies every one of Kate’s doubts and regrets,
resulting in a portrait of a misspent life that’s a slow-motion crusher.
11. Jesse Eisenberg, The End of the Tour

David Foster Wallace was a larger-than-life figure, and Jason Segel’s
pitch-perfect portrayal of him was always going to loom large in The End of the Tour.
So it was a shrewd move by director James Ponsoldt, in casting the
“other” David (David Lipsky, the interviewer spending a few days with
Wallace), to recruit a heavyweight actor to stand up to Wallace’s, and
Segel’s, star power. Eisenberg more than holds his own. In The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,
Brad Pitt’s James tells Casey Affleck’s Ford, “I don’t know if you want
to be me or kill me.” There’s more than a bit of that relationship
here, and as compelling as Wallace is, it’s pretty damned compelling to
watch Eisenberg’s Lipsky get seduced in spite of himself by Wallace’s
charm, wit and wisdom. And the fact that Eisenberg naturally comes
across on screen as neurotic and calculating doesn’t hurt, either.
Still, it’s the moments where he breaks through those clouds (with
difficulty), and allows himself to connect with Wallace on a personal
level, that truly shine in the film.10. Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Just because you’re ready to do grown-up things doesn’t mean you’re
mature enough to handle the consequences. That’s the dilemma Minnie
Goetze (Bel Powley) finds herself in when she falls for and sleeps with
Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård), the boyfriend of her mother (Kristen
Wiig). But he’s only a part of her story. Minnie, like most kids her
age, struggles with acceptance and finding her identity. Her open need
for love and belonging is boldly laid bare in The Diary of a Teenage Girl. It’s only with great sensitivity on Powley’s part that the audience empathizes with the self-absorbed whims of a 15-year-old.9. Ronit Elkabetz, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Not only did Ronit Elkabetz star in one of the year’s best films, she
also co-wrote and co-directed it alongside her brother Shlomi Elkabetz.
In Gett, she plays Viviane Amsalem, an Israeli woman slowly
driven insane as she’s desperate to be divorced from her apathetic,
unloving husband (Simon Abkarian). There’s a snag, though: In her
country, a divorce must be granted by a rabbi and the spouse. At its
core, Gett condemns a culture that permits such gender
inequality, and Ronit makes us feel the film’s anger and absurdist humor
in each of her beautifully composed looks of utter exasperation. No
movie this year wrung such drama from a silent face, her helplessness
emblematic of so many silenced women. 8. Richard Gere, Time Out of Mind

It’s Gere’s turn that truly sells Time Out of Mind’s
bare-bones conceit. With eyes that segue between clear and foggy at a
moment’s notice, and with a standoff-ish comportment that seems born
from some deep disgrace and misery, Gere embodies George as a wounded
animal in a foreign land. Much of the film’s second half involves George
trying to receive public assistance—an arduous trip down the
bureaucratic rabbit hole that requires him first obtaining a birth
certificate and social security card—and his encounters with various
clerks and officials allow Gere to paint around the edges of his
performance, coloring in his character’s emotional condition with
furtive sideways glances or nervous licks of the lips. The longer he’s
George, the less one sees Gere, until a heartrending final confrontation
between George and Maggie, when the latter disappears altogether. 7. Teyonah Parris, Chi-Raq

All Spike Lee had to do for the lead role in Chi-Raq was to
find a woman who might credibly be capable of stopping gang warfare in
Chicago—in the memorable words of Samuel Jackson’s one-man Greek chorus,
a woman who’s “got a mind like Einstein and a truly luscious behind.”
Parris has sex appeal to spare in Chi-Raq, but it’s a fierce,
brainy, brawny sex appeal. It’s Pam Grier by way of a wide streak of
Angela Davis. It’s a testament to the film that we don’t doubt for one
minute that she’s not only worth fighting for, but worth not
fighting for. And let’s not forget the verse-ridden dialogue either.
It’s one thing for Samuel Jackson to pop into the picture and recite
verse directly to the camera with a gleam in his eye and a broad smile;
it’s quite another to speak actual dialogue in verse and not come across
as cheesy. Paris tackles the lines with aplomb and is as nimble as a
rapper with the rhymes. And her face captures all the righteous anger
and defiance of Lee’s masterful film. It’s not an accident that the
film’s poster is a closeup of Parris. Turning a five-thousand-year old
role into the incendiary driver of the year’s best film—now there’s an
accomplishment.6. Walton Goggins, The Hateful Eight

When Walton Goggins begins speaking near the beginning of The Hateful Eight,
you’re already rolling in the aisles, but you’re also wondering if
perhaps his character is going to be a little too broadly sketched, a
little too slapstick for an entire movie. But don’t worry, you’re in
good hands. Goggins, one of the finest character actors on the planet,
has plenty of depth and nuance to bring to you for the remainder of the
movie. And you still get to enjoy that deliciously funny accent and
lilting tone. Tarantino has now used Goggins to great effect in a small
role (Django Unchained) and in a large supporting role (The Hateful Eight). Might we suggest taking this relationship to the next level and casting him as a lead? Whaddya say, QT?5. Jason Segel, The End of the Tour

The latest from director James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now, Smashed)
is about journalist/author David Lipsky as much as it is the late
author David Foster Wallace. Adapted from Lipsky’s book about his
sometimes-confrontational interview with Wallace just after the
publication of Infinite Jest, The End of the Tour raises
some of life’s most difficult questions about identity, the perception
of others and intellectual honesty. But Jason Segel’s performance as the
earnest Midwesterner Wallace is the grounding heart of the film.
Wallace’s eventual suicide is a specter haunting the entire affair, but
it’s never maudlin or manipulative. Instead, these few days in the
passenger seat are welcome, listening to an original man’s original
perspective on life and loneliness.4. Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Lost in the shuffle of larger-than-life franchise roles (The Avengers) and rumpled indie dreamboats (Begin Again, The Kids Are Alright), is Mark Ruffalo, The Finest Character Actor of His Generation. Picking up where he left off in Foxcatcher, Ruffalo turns in another imaginatively crafted blue-collar everyman in Tom McCarthy’s exquisite Spotlight.
Ruffalo’s church-haunted street reporter is a wonder of finely crafted
physicality and unwavering intention. And true to Ruffalo form, his work
serves to elevate the performances of his ensemble cast mates rather
than depreciate them.3. Nina Hoss, Phoenix

German actress Nina Hoss has received some Stateside notice for her work in A Most Wanted Man and Homeland, but her frequent collaboration with filmmaker Christian Petzold has been her most rewarding. Their new peak is Phoenix,
in which she plays Nelly, a Jew returned to Germany after World War II
who suspects that her faithless husband (Ronald Zehrfeld) got her
shipped to a concentration camp by ratting her out to the Nazis. The
film is powered by a tricky conceit—when she reunites with her husband,
she pretends to be someone else, and because he believes that his wife
is dead he falls for it—which Hoss uses as a springboard for a treatise
on the mysteries of marriage. She’s remarkable playing a woman who isn’t
there, neither the Nelly of the past nor a person with a new identity.
Essentially, Nelly is an enigma, one with a sting in its tail. 2. Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind

Since breaking out internationally with 2010’s Animal Kingdom, Australian actor Mendelsohn has done strong work in American films such as The Dark Knight Rises, Killing Them Softly and The Place Beyond the Pines.
But he’s simply stunning as Gerry. We’ve all seen plenty of films about
inveterate gamblers—they’re as helpless as alcoholics and drug
addicts—but Mendelsohn externalizes all of Gerry’s misery and craving
without making a big show of it. Rarely has someone on screen seemed
like they were drowning in front of our eyes as powerfully as Gerry
does, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. At one point, Gerry confesses
that he’s a bad person, and while we can’t disagree, we feel for this
poor bastard. Maybe he’s not really bad—he’s just terribly, impossibly,
painfully weak.1. Peter Sarsgaard, Experimenter

In Experimenter, Sarsgaard gives one of his finest
performances, both withholding and deeply vulnerable. His Milgram is a
man who treats his reactions to the events around him as closely guarded
secrets. Working in the drab basement office where he conducts his
obedience experiment, he briefly comes to life—but not in a
demonstrative way. His mind is engaged by the results, transfixed by the
dozens of men and women who blithely continue shocking McDonough
without feeling much guilt, but his response is in some ways a bitter,
self-fulfilling assumption he has about humanity’s moral limitations.
With the high-profile trial of Holocaust mastermind Adolf Eichmann going
on simultaneously, Milgram seems partly driven by a need to prove to
himself (and others) that such monsters aren’t the exception but the
rule, that we’re all capable of doing terrible things when we can
justify our actions by saying that we were just following orders. Even
here, though, director Michael Almereyda won’t settle for the pat
explanation, the trite dime-store psychological portrait of his subject.
Sarsgaard slowly reveals a growing ego in Milgram—a budding self-regard
that flowers when his experiment becomes famous, criticized and
debated—but the actor works in different vibrant shades, suggesting the
man’s possible motives without ever landing on one clear answer.